Nestlings are altricial and take about two weeks to feather out and grow to fledgling size. The cup-shaped nests are constructed by the female working alone on a horizontal branch usually below 20 feet high and sheltered under overhanging vegetation.The female lays two eggs, about half an inch in length, in a nest that is tiny, just 2” across, and camouflaged with lichen, moss, and other plant materials to resemble the bark of the limb they reside on. Aggressive males defend their territory by chasing away interlopers. These hummingbirds do not form permanent pair bonds and both males and females may mate with different partners.īroad-tailed hummingbirds occur in open evergreen forests with a grassy understory below 10,000 feet, as well as juniper and oak woodlands, breeding in young oaks or other shrubby habitats. The white-tipped tails extend beyond the ends of the wing tips. Females also have rusty coloration on the belly and flanks. The backs of both sexes are an iridescent green. Females have a white throat with dark green spots on the throat and cheeks. This tiny 3-4 inch long hummingbird is a summer resident and breeder from western Wyoming and southeastern Idaho down across Nevada, Utah and Colorado, excepting the eastern plains, into New Mexico and Arizona, and down the Sierra Madre range in Mexico.Most migrate, spending winters in Mexico and Central America, though some populations spend the entire year in southern Mexico and Guatemala.Males have red throat feathers and dark patches on the sides of the otherwise white belly.
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